Do you think I could be friends with everyone again?

When Sakura stepped into her room, Sai was sitting atop her bed.

"Hey," she said, closing the door behind her. She winced at the tiredness that unconsciously flooded into her voice – seeing her mother break down like that had taken more out of her than she had previously anticipated. Sakura couldn't blame her – she might have returned in time from a catastrophic future with memories of worth six years, but for Mebuki, it was her only daughter growing impossibly far away and out of her grasp over a single night. Raising a hand to her temples, Sakura resisted the urge to sigh. I should have been nicer, she thought. Why did I raise my voice?

At the sight of her Sai immediately stood, his paintbrush disappearing somewhere between his fingers. When she met his eyes, his brows furrowed. "You look like a hag."

"Thanks," Sakura replied.

"Did something happen?"

Sakura held his gaze. Black, curious, uncertain, worried – words that she too often associated with him these days. Then her eyes slipped down to his neck and there was a bruise, no, bruises, dotted like dark clouds on a white sky on his skin and disappearing underneath his collar. No doubt they were injuries that hadn't yet healed from his Root missions, and it reminded her of – If Sasuke stays in Team 7, then, I- "No," she shook her head. "Just overthinking things. As usual. What were you doing?"

Sai frowned, clearly not convinced, but at her expression, let it go and sat back down on the bed. "Inspecting your weapons."

True to his word, laying on her floor in a line were those that she would take into the exams – kunai, shuriken, a few soldier pills- "Senbon," Sai nodded approvingly. It had been his suggestion – with her medical knowledge, senbon could quickly become deadly, but it had never been her most preferred way of attacking. Punching the enemy's nose in had been much easier. Then, beside the pile of needles, a small, red bag tightened shut with a gold string. "Poison," he finally said. "And paralysis." Having arrived at the end of the line, he looked up. "Have you had time to test them?"

Sakura shook her head. "It was hard enough making them without anyone noticing. Besides, since I don't have access to the hospital or any laboratories, I had only local plants to use. They won't be too strong. Definitely not enough to kill." Yet it was an addition to her arsenal still, and she only had Shizune and Tsunade to thank – it was due to being the Godaime's apprentice that she had been well-educated in the properties of most local and exotic plants which could be extorted for medical, or possibly, toxic purposes. Unfastening her pouch, she placed it on the floor beside them before beginning to pack the items away.

There was a long creak as Sai shifted on the bed. "...Is your mind unchanged?"

Her hands faltering, her grip on a shuriken slipped slightly before she tucked it neatly behind a row of kunais. "We've been through this, Sai," she said, a quiet sigh escaping her. "It's unchanged. I won't be stopping the invasion."

There was a short gap before Sai replied – with her back towards him, she couldn't see his face, but she presumed he had probably nodded. "You know it will be difficult. If Orochimaru sees that he is impressed by Sasuke, but fails to bestow the curse mark – it's entirely possible that he will continue to target him even after the second phase."

That was true – and something she and Sai had spent a few moments pondering on. After all, there was a month of time between the second phase and third phase of the Chūnin Exams, where the invasion would occur. Even if she succeeded in her initial trial of protecting Sasuke, it would be a long month. Truthfully told, the sight of Konoha crumbling wasn't quite one she wanted to see again, but-

"We can't afford to give up Sand," Sakura finally said. "We all know what an asset they were to us. To Naruto." She pursed her lips. "We can't afford to give up Gaara." As time progressed, the scale of the enemies they would face would also increase – the cooperation of another major hidden village could be crucial. "And as much as I wish otherwise, I think it might be near-impossible to gain his friendship before the invasion without giving any knowledge away."

And Tsunade-shishō, Sakura thought grimly. That was another thing to be consider. She didn't have anything against the Third – in fact, knew those who were loyal and grieved at the loss of the man – but the Leaf she knew and loved was under the rule of the blonde woman. Even if, Sakura thought, even if she had told her-

When you arrive, do not seek me out. And if I become Hokage yet again, do not approach me. I will not be your mentor again.

As if to get rid of stray thoughts, Sakura shook her head. "Besides," she shrugged. "I strongly doubt Leaf would have an ironclad defence against Orochimaru. Damage is inevitable. We'll just be out of our area of expertise while it happens."

"There's no guarantee things will go the same way this time," Sai said, ever the voice of optimism. "Things may become worse."

"Sure," she replied, trying to keep her tone light. "But things can always get worse. That's why we have to focus on what can get better."

There was silence for a long moment, where Sai pushed off of her bed, and moved towards her window. Against the bright sun streaming in, his shadow was long and reached her fingers.

"It's unlike you to be so somber," Sakura joked, exhaling a huff of laughter. When he didn't reply, Sakura turned, brows slanting as she took in the look on Sai's face. Putting her shurikens down, she stood, reaching out and placing a hand on his head. It always took her off guard how easy it was to match his eye-level – after all, unlike Naruto or Sasuke, she had never seen Sai at this age, and it seemed that unconsciously, she had always considered him as bigger than her. "Sai," she said, tugging at a strand of his hair. "Really."

"I'm not worried," he finally said. "I simply…I wish that I…" Trailing off, he pursed his lips, and a bubble of anxiety pushed against her insides. Sakura thought she knew what he wanted to say – but the reality of the matter was that Sai was a Root, and leaving on a mission tomorrow afternoon. "I should be able to slip the scrolls at your house tomorrow when I set out," Sai continued after a pause. "But I wanted to give this to you in person."

He gestured for her hand, and when she offered it, placed a stone in her palm. Dark, jagged but with sleek surfaces and of considerable size. "It's black jade," he said when she looked at him questioningly, voice low. "It's supposed to be…a stone for protection."

Then Sai's hand started to move away and out of pure instinct Sakura grabbed it, wrapping her fingers around his. Taken aback, he blinked at her, but she didn't let go, even if the stone between their hands was too big and digging painfully into her flesh.

Sai's skin was paler than hers; always had been. It made her only want to grip onto his hand harder. "Thank you," she said quietly.

He stared at their interlinked hands with a difficult expression to read, until he finally dropped his head, and nodded.

"Did you buy this?"

He shook his head. "I acquired it on a mission. Before, I'd just thrown it away, but…"

Letting go of his hand, Sakura nodded, the feeling in her chest warm, heavy and choking.

Do you think one day I could be friends with them again? Naruto, Kakashi, the rest of the Rookies…Sasuke.

She gave the stone a long look, then, and moving towards her coffee table, folded her tablecloth multiple times over its edge, before placing it onto the makeshift cushion. The she raised a senbon over it, and when Sai looked at her in alarm, gave him a small smile. "Trust me."

And she carefully pushed the tip of the needle into the stone, feeling more certain when it didn't shatter, but only sort of slid apart along the cracks it created. Taking the one larger than others, she split that one, too – in half, making five in total – before reaching towards her drawers, and taking out a bundle of strings, and clattering down onto the floor along with it, a cascade of chains, hooks, beads. The remnants from her childhood. Sakura hadn't thought she'd ever touch them again.

Then, as Sai sat before her, legs crossed and clearly confused, she took a fragment between her fingers and wound the top of it with a thin leather twine, looping it tight until it hung securely – and out of the corner of her eyes saw Sai's expression slowly change as he comprehended her actions. For a fleeting moment Sakura wondered if she had thought wrong, if he would be hurt, or offended – but then she raised her head to meet his eyes fully and she froze, had to hurriedly duck her head again. But Sai's expression – raw and fond and thankful and- too sad, too sad – continued to blaze in her mind and-

They remained in silence after that, her fingers working swiftly at her lap, Sai's black eyes ceaselessly chasing her hands. She gave the first one done to Sai; motioned him to move closer, reached over, and tied it around his neck. Sakura couldn't quite look him in the eyes as she fumbled with the knot, but she could feel the pulsating heat radiating off of his form, and don't worry. Don't worry. I'll save you from Root. No matter what it takes.

When she spoke, her voice came out thick. "We could all do with some protection," Sakura whispered. "Team 7 protects each other."

Kakashi spent the last day before the exams simply running them through their specialty jutsus – Naruto with his shadow clones and his newfound love for kibakufudas after his success with them the day prior, Sasuke with his fire and Sharingan, though Kakashi didn't let him leave it activated for long. Though the tension was there if one looked for it – but Naruto and Kakashi were never one to keep the mood too solemn, the blond too optimistic for it and the jōnin too careless for it, and so they trained, as usual, bid each other farewell at sunset, as usual, and returned home, as usual. The normalcy had been drawn – Sakura suspected no one wanted to disrupt it, and so neither did she, though she had considered visiting Kakashi before night well and truly fell. She had been forced to decide against it when the silver-haired jōnin had made himself quickly scarce after dismissing them – almost too quickly it was almost strange – that Sakura hadn't even had time to properly bid him a good night before he was bounding across the trees.

But she had worse things to worry about – and before she knew it Sakura was heading towards Team 7's meeting place, the morning weather painfully, bitterly perfect as if to commemorate the opening of the Chūnin Exams. When she arrived at the bridge, Sasuke was already there, leaning against the railings and spinning a kunai between his fingers. Naruto was nowhere to be seen, as was Kakashi, but somehow the sheer familiarity of the scene put her slightly at ease. For both training and missions Sasuke was usually the first to arrive, and Sakura second, though she occasionally beat him to it when her morning training ended early – and then Naruto, always running towards them with his arms flailing five minutes late, then Kakashi, approximately three hours after that. Still, she couldn't quite help the weight that pressed down on her shoulders, steps heavy-

"Sasuke," she called out. "Good morning."

Sasuke looked up, smoothly slipping his kunai inside his pouch. "Sakura." Then, with a slight frown, "You're early."

"You're earlier," Sakura pointed out, and he shrugged. She had forgone her usual morning training to preserve her chakra, left her home fifteen minutes or so earlier than usual – her mother hadn't responded to her I'm leaving – and yet Sasuke had still been waiting at the bridge before her. She supposed it was understandable – the prospect of a promotion, fighting ninja from all across the Fire Country, an opportunity to grow stronger – how could the exams not weigh on him? As if to press the ball of apprehension back down, Sakura felt herself swallow, eyes dropping down.

"Nervous?"

Her gaze snapped from Sasuke's fingers, which almost seemed lost after putting the kunai away – back up to his face. Her first instinct was to laugh, to scoff, let his question slide off of her – Please, why would I be? – but the look in his eyes was oddly serious and Sakura pursed her lips, fixing her gaze at a pale spot on Sasuke's neck. "Maybe a little," she admitted.

There was a small pause where she could feel his stare moving on her form, a quiet sigh, and then- "You shouldn't be."

Sakura tried not to take his words as a criticism, a condemnation of her flawed composure. "Yeah? And why's that?"

Shifting, Sasuke ran a hand through his hair. "Because," he said, voice clipped, "the Dobe and I will be there."

Eyes widening, Sakura sent him an incredulous look – and Sasuke scowled, annoyance and discomfort plastered all over his face as if he had hated saying the words even as he had.

"You-" she started instinctively, then broke off, a small laugh escaping her. How very…unlike Sasuke. Placing her hands on her hips and tilting her head high, Sakura smirked. "Really now? My expectations are high, Sasuke." The corners of her lips tugged higher when Sasuke let out a scoff.

"Which reminds me," Sakura continued, rummaging through her pouch. "I have something for you." When her fingers threaded through a thin string, she wordlessly extended her hand towards him. A small stone of black jade followed, dangling from her thumb by an equally black twine.

He eyed it questioningly. "What's this?"

"A gift," Sakura declared, and swung it in his direction. Sasuke caught it effortlessly, the dark surface of it contrasting starkly against the pale skin of his hand as his brows furrowed at it.

"Black jade," he recognised. "Why are you giving this to me?"

"A wish for protection," she replied, smiling lightly when he gave her a strange glance. "I have one, too. And also-" She extended her other hand, revealing two more similar pendants hanging from her fingers. "For Naruto, and Kakashi, too." Meeting his bemused gaze, she grinned. "What do you say? Think of it as a talisman, of sorts."

When Sasuke didn't respond, his fingers around the charm and expression unreadable, Sakura tried to stamp down the beginnings of disappointment that threatened to unfurl in her gut. "I mean," she shook her head, "if you don't like it-" Sakura stopped short as Sasuke wordlessly raised it to his mouth, tore the existing knot with his teeth, and re-tied the string more loosely around his neck. It fit snugly inside his collar, completely hidden from view, but something about the sight of the black stone disappearing beneath his shirt had made Sakura's mouth go oddly dry.

At her expression, Sasuke frowned. "What?" He said. "Wasn't this what you wanted me to do?"

"Huh?" She startled, then, shook her head fervently. "No, it was! I mean, yes, I did want you to wear it. I just didn't think that…you know," she mumbled, hopelessly wringing her hands. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and she looked away, a thick, strange feeling settling in her chest. "I just didn't think you'd actually wear it, is all."

There was a pause, and Sakura slowly lifted her eyes towards him to see Sasuke's hand at his neck, thumbing the leather string of the charm while he stared uncomfortably at a spot in the air. "Why not?" He asked finally.

The question was short, simple, and robbed her of words like nothing else. Why? Sakura thought. Because you're Sasuke. Because you don't like these kind of things. Because before you would never have accepted something like this, because before you hated sentimentality and before, before, before- Before. Tipping her head, and with no little affection threading her voice, she simply replied, "No reason."

Sasuke frowned, but his next words were interrupted by a shout, and she turned to see Naruto, arms expectedly flailing as he sped towards them. "Sakura-chan! Sasuke!" He skid to a stop before them, grabbing at Sakura's shoulders as a brake. "Sorry! Sorry I'm late! I sort of forgot to pack yesterday, so-"

"Really, Naruto," Kakashi said from behind the blond, appearing in a swirl of leaves. "Arriving not even five minutes before me? Shame on you."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed, thoroughly impressed. "You're early today."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I told him we're meeting at seven." He gave Kakashi a pointed look, "It's nine now."

"Dear me," Kakashi grimaced, rubbing at his neck. "I had a feeling seven was much too early. Don't use that head on things like this, Sasuke."

"Hey, Sakura-chan," Naruto suddenly said, letting go of her. He was looking down at Sakura's hand – having noticed the jade dangling from her fingertips. "What're those for?"

"Oh, right! Here," Placing one into Naruto's hand, and the other in Kakashi's, the black pooling in their hands, Sakura smiled. "Talismans. Sasuke and I have it, too." And Sai- But she had to swallow back the words, and Sakura settled on taking hers out from underneath the collar of her sleeveless qipao shirt, and flashing it at the blond.

Surprised, Naruto whipped his head towards Sasuke – to which the black-haired boy promptly turned away, crossing his arms. But the lack of denial was a clear affirmative, and Naruto's eyes darted repeatedly between Sasuke, Kakashi, and herself. "For us?" He asked. "Just us?"

"Yep." Sakura grinned. "Limited edition, Team 7 style."

"Team 7 sty-" But his voice hit a note, and breaking off, the blond had to clear his throat, staring down at his palm. But unlike Sasuke, this time Sakura thought she knew the reason why – the look on his face reminded her of the expression he had made when he first received his hitai-ate – a symbol of belonging. Just as Sakura felt her gaze soften, Naruto raised his head with a grin, one of those that split his face right across in half. "That's," he started excitedly, and his voice rose a few pitches, "wicked, Sakura-chan! It's totally cool – and black, too – hella badass! I say-"

While Kakashi still had his in the palm of his hand, face impassive. Sakura rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei. It's not going to eat you."

He looked at her with a frown. "That's not what I was thinking."

"Uh-huh."

Still, watching Naruto eagerly slip his head through the loop and Kakashi tuck it carefully in his pouch, Sakura remembered Sai, standing by her window with a unsteady smile- I suppose I can be with them this way, Sakura.

She cleared her throat. "We, uh, should go now. Or we'll be late."

Sasuke nodded. "It's time."

"Alright!" Naruto leapt into the air. "I feel at least a thousand times stronger now! Up and ready to beat the hell out of everyone!"

Sakura laughed while Kakashi waved them away with their hands. "Get going, then."

Giving Kakashi one final nod, they turned away, moving off the bridge and onto the footpath while Naruto and Sasuke bickered on her left. "Put the stone inside your collar, dobe. It's flailing."

"What- but people won't be able to see it!"

"Neither will you when you jump and it hits you in the face."

They were only a few feet away when Kakashi's voice reached them again, low and casual though Sakura could hear the time Kakashi must have struggled with the words, trying to get them out before they were truly out of reach. "Walk tall, Team 7."

And Naruto spun, wildly waving both of his arms in the air at the jōnin with a bright grin, Sakura turned her head just so that he could see her smile, and Sasuke raised a hand in acknowledgment as the trio made their way towards the exam centre.

It wasn't too difficult to get to where they needed to this time around – Sasuke identifying the genjutsu with ease, Naruto's loud determination blowing away the ninja who tried to discourage them at the entrance. They inevitably ran into Team 9 again – but having already sparred, Lee didn't challenge Sasuke, only shouting out a greeting at the boys and a love confession for her while Tenten waved brightly. Neji passed them without acknowledgement, but she had seen him lock eyes with Sasuke for a second – sparks flying – she supposed he was still wary of Sasuke, and understandably so. The only strange thing was the time that Lee spent actually staring at Naruto – looking almost reluctantly away when Tenten pulled him along.

Nonetheless, when they arrived at the hall, the magnitude of the people present and the awful familiarity of it all knocked those thoughts away, and Sakura let out a slow breath, trying not to tense. Knowing she would face the Chūnin Exams again was one thing – actually reliving it was another.

"There's so many people," Naruto said, awed. It was a sight – after all, it was rare to shinobi from all sorts of villages together at one place. "Like, at least a hundred!"

Sakura ran her eyes across the crowd, scanning their headbands. Sand. Rain. …Sound, she noted solemnly. But I can't find Kabuto. Narrowing her eyes, she started re-skimming through the horde of shinobi. If she remembered correctly, Orochimaru had disguised himself as a ninja from Grass-

"Eh? Hinata!"

At Naruto's voice, Sakura turned, and true to his word, a few feet away to their right Hinata stood frozen in step, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"It is Hinata!" Naruto exclaimed, waving her over enthusiastically. "Over here!"

Face immediately going red at the sight of the blond, Hinata's eyes darted around as if searching for a escape route before hesitantly approaching them. "N-N-N-Naruto-kun," she said, voice trembling and determinedly staring at Naruto's shoulder instead of his face. "And Sakura-san. Sasuke-kun."

"Hey, Hinata-chan," Sakura greeted, grin widening when Hinata shyly returned her smile. Truth be told, they had never been so close during their genin years – not until Sasuke left the village and the girls became closer with the years – but Hinata had always been nothing but utterly kind and polite towards her. At first glance, it had been quite strange – to think there was a girl who could look at Sasuke with zero feelings while fainting at the slightest brush with Naruto's hands – but through time Hinata's love for Naruto had nothing but shone bright, staying by the blond's side utterly steadfast and tender. And for that, Sakura had always been thankful.

"So, um," Naruto said, bobbing on the soles of his feet. "Ready for the exams?"

Hinata seemed ready to pass out at the fact that the blond was attempting to carry a conversation with her, stammering. "M-me? Oh, no – th-there's so many people who are st-stronger than me, and-"

Naruto grinned. "But you'll do your best, right?"

That's a killer smile right there, Sakura thought dryly as Hinata's blush took up a notch. Beside her, Sasuke was watching the exchange as if he had never witnessed a human interaction more pathetic.

"Y-yes!"

"Good, good," Naruto said distractedly, hand rising to rub at her neck. It was clear he had something else on mind, and showed itself when he asked, "So, umm, have you seen Neji?"

Really? Frowning, she quietly hissed under her neath, "Naruto!"

Don't worry, Naruto mouthed back, which worried Sakura more.

Hinata looked startled, pale eyes widening. "Ne-Neji nii-san?" Glancing around at her surroundings as if she expected the brown-haired boy to leap out from the crowds at any time, she shook her head. "We- we didn't come together. He's probably with- with his team."

"I see, I see," Naruto nodded, looking deeply engrossed. "Hm. Ergo! Well, then, Hinata…How's Neji been?" Beside him, Sakura resisted the urge to bury her face into her hands.

"E-eh?"

"He hasn't been, like, trying to hurt you or anything? Or maybe he's been, like, roaming the outside of your room a l- Youch!"

"So! Hinata-chan," Sakura interrupted, driving her elbow up Naruto's ribs and sending the blond doubling over. "Where's Kiba and Shino?"

Behind her, Sasuke had placed his hand over the blond's shoulder in a death-grip, very quietly muttering between clenched teeth, "Stop. Talking. Now."

"O-oh, right," Hinata said, eyeing Naruto worriedly, clearly confused. "We actually got se-separated – they should be nearby-"

"Hey, if it isn't Team 7!" As if called on, Kiba emerged from the crowd behind Hinata, slinging an arm across the Hyūga heiress' shoulders while Akamaru barked at them in greeting. "What're you doin' ditching us, Hinata?" He said slyly. "Chatting Naruto up, eh?"

"Ki-Kiba-kun! P-Please!"

Laughing heartily, Kiba turned, shouting over his shoulder. "Oi, Shino! She's here!" When the insect-specialist materialised beside them, Kiba gave them a nod. "Long time no see, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura."

Then from the side, a slow, unimpressed drawl, "You guys were all here?"

"Shikamaru!" Kiba exclaimed as the Nara raised a hand in greeting, yawning widely while the rest of Team 10 waved behind him. "Ino, Chouji, too-" He barked out a laughter, moving aside to make space to fit Team 10 in the circle. "All of the Konoha Nine, huh?"

"Ino!" Sakura grinned, shuffling over to squeeze her in. No matter how the blonde might act, she still hadn't given up in repairing their friendship. Her loud, catty presence had been invaluable to her in the past – Ino's spunk only growing in intensity even as the world began to fall around them. It had made Sakura face the oncoming war with an attitude of her own – gloom and despair be damned.

She wasn't even deterred when Ino only pulled a face at her focusing on Sasuke with a flirty smile. "Hey, Sasuke-kun," Ino purred, though Sasuke promptly ignored her.

"Man, there's so many people here," Shikamaru drawled, hands stuffed in his pockets. "So troublesome."

"Still, it's good to see you guys," Chouji smiled before turning back to his bag of potato chips. "What'd you suppose they'll make us do?"

"Probably toss us in a cage or somethin' and force us to fight to death," Kiba replied, baring his teeth. "Not that I can't handle it. Eh, Akamaru?"

Hinata's eyes widened. "T-to death?"

"Have you seen some of these guys, though?" Shikamaru muttered. "Some of them don't even look human."

"That's the whole purpose of the exams, man!" Kiba insisted. "The battles! The adrenaline!"

"Yeah!" Naruto joined in, pumping his fist into the air. "To fight strong people and kick their asses-"

"Maybe you guys should be a little quieter," a voice said from behind her, and Sakura turned, coming face-to-face with a konoha hitai-ate, familiar ash-grey hair, eyes slanted kindly behind rimmed spectacles, and feeling something distinctly stop inside her-

Years into the past or not, recognition flared cold and right through her limbs.

"It is a public place," Kabuto said, the tilt of his head politely amused.

Exhaling slowly, she tried to control the disgust that ran up her back.

Naruto squinted. "And who're you?"

"Yakushi Kabuto," he smiled, and Sakura had to look away, her fists clenching at her sides. She had known she would meet him, but she hadn't anticipated how hard it would be to not bury her fist in his face the moment she did. Don't lose it, Sakura. Not now. Schooling her features into one of indifference, she stood a little straighter, the slant of her chin slightly higher.

"What'd you want?" Kiba asked, scowling.

"Just to give little bit of advice," Kabuto said, continuing to smile, the epitome of a helpful stranger. Sakura almost wanted to marvel at his acting ability. "The level of volume here seems to be irking the surrounding shinobi, you see. You guys sound very confident and all, but this is the Chūnin Exams-" he spread his arms, "Most likely the individuals here are all elites from their own villages. After all – this is my fourth year attempting them."

"Fourth year?" Ino repeated incredulously.

"So the rumours about them being incredibly hard were true." Shikamaru made a sound of exasperation. "I knew this was going to be troublesome."

"Or," Sakura raised an eyebrow. "He's just an incredibly bad ninja."

Kabuto brushed her off with a laugh. "Please," he said. "I may not be the strongest, but I do possess considerable abilities of my own. One of which," he adjusted his glasses, "-happens to be collecting intelligence." Taking out bundle of cards from his pocket, he flashed a couple at them. "These cards are chakra-encoded with the information that I have collected over two hundred shinobi over the past four years. If there is anyone you would like to know about – anyone – I may be able to help you."

"Anyone?" Sasuke spoke up, eyes narrowed, while Naruto and the rest of the genin eagerly leaned forward, eyeing his cards curiously. Sakura scowled. Kabuto sure knew how to tempt people – to anyone, especially first-timer genin like them – an offer for information was priceless.

This time when Kabuto smiled, Sakura thought she saw a serpent-like edge to it. "Of course."

"Really?" Sakura stepped in. "And do these cards contain information about us, too?"

"They do," Kabuto replied, though he seemed a little irked at being interrupted.

"But this is the first time we're participating in the exams," she said, placing a finger on her chin thoughtfully. "How did you gain so much information about us? Did you perhaps…stalk us?"

"What?" Naruto made a face. "That's not cool, man."

Looking taken aback, Kabuto shook his head. "No, that is not what I meant. I-"

"Sakura's right," Shikamaru frowned, and Sakura inwardly smirked. Trust a Nara to back me up. An irresistible bait, to be sure, to the nervous genin – but unwrap a layer and Kabuto's behaviour was full of holes. "How do we know we can trust you?"

"Please," Kabuto raised his hands placatingly. "As fellow Leaf shinobi, I'm just trying to help you kids out-"

"No shinobi helps strangers out for free," Kiba jerked his chin towards Kabuto's cards. "And villages don't mean nothing once the exams start."

"And how do we know," Sakura continued, brows innocently furrowed. "That you're not tricking us? What if you're selling us false information?" Her words turned sharp. "Or giving others our information?"

"I understand your concerns," Kabuto said, his voice taking on a gentle, persuasive tone – truly, Sakura thought, an assistant of a Snake. "But I assure you, I only have the purest of intentions. If you want me to prove my faith-"

"No," Sasuke finally cut in, having watched the grey-haired shinobi with his lips pursed. "We're not interested."

The rest of the Rookies nodded – though some did look reluctant in turning down the offer, it was true the risk outweighed the benefits, and Naruto gave him a solid humph, putting an arm around Sakura's shoulders – and before Kabuto could protest, began to turn away. "Sorry," Sakura gave him a faux smile. "But I think we'll manage by ourselves."

"I actually saw him reporting," Sakura muttered darkly to Naruto and Sasuke while they followed Ibiki into the written examination room. "To a Grass ninja." Of course, she hadn't, but Sakura had no doubt that it was true – both in the past and present, Kabuto must have deliberately approached them in order to feed information to Orochimaru.

"That Kabuto guy?" Naruto exclaimed loudly, before getting shushed by Sakura.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You mean he's a spy?"

Sakura nodded. "He's probably feeding them information about our abilities. Best not show anything around him. Better yet, just let's just not stay near him."

To her relief, Sasuke nodded.

Sitting at the desk and leaning her chin into the palm of her hand, Sakura tapped her pencil against the exam paper. Knowing the trick to pass Ibiki's exam lay in the tenth question, there was no real value to answering the questions. A look to the front had shown Naruto whispering to Hinata with a torn expression on his face – to cheat, or not to cheat? – while a glance to her left had shown Sasuke doing a fine job copying with his Sharingan. Turning back to her own test paper, Sakura spun the pencil through her fingers. Do they even mark these?

Probably not, Sakura concluded. After all, there wasn't a point. Twirling the pencil a few more times, Sakura took the chance to subtly scan through her surroundings. While the participants were mandated to sit separately from their teammates, they were not assigned any seats, and she had opted for the back half of the room – that from her position she could see just about everyone except the few on the row behind her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Gaara, back straight and the sand faint around him, and the rest of the Rookie Nine scattered across the room except Kiba who sat on the very last row – when there was a flash of grey to her right, and her gaze slid over – right into Kabuto's dark eyes. Her own eyes must have widened; Kabuto's lips curved in amusement, tilting his head in a silent greeting.

Sakura quickly looked back down, a dash of panic shooting through her. What? Why is he here? Had Kabuto also taken the first examination so near her in the past? Or perhaps he had sat there all along? At the very least – Sakura was sure that he hadn't caught her eyes and smiled at her before.

Slightly raising her head, she peeked to her left again – this time to see Kabuto deeply absorbed in his test paper, apparently intent on answering the questions. A facade, to be sure – for his level of shinobi, the questions would be almost damningly easy.

She felt herself swallow. There was one reason and one reason only why he would take care to sit so closely to her – only two seats across – and to have been looking at her, at that.

To any genin with reasonable intelligence, the hidden purpose behind this exam was obvious.

Also to any genin with reasonable intelligence, Ibiki's nine questions were practically impossible to solve.

He wanted to see how she would cheat.

Sakura's test paper remained blank until the end of the exam.

When she exited the restroom following the first phase – Naruto's loud I won't give up, believe it! inciting a slight smirk from Sasuke and a proud smile from her – Kabuto was waiting for her a few steps away, leaning against a wall and staring at something in his hand.

Oh, for God's sakes. Pretending not to have seen him, Sakura tried to walk right past – she shouldn't have told Naruto and Sasuke to go ahead without her – when Kabuto raised his head at the last second, and skid into her way, stopping her. "Hello," Kabuto said. "Sakura-san, was it? Can we talk?"

That smile again, Sakura thought with a scowl. Trying to keep in the waves of revulsion that threatened to break out at his proximity, Sakura kept her tone cordial as she asked, "Had I shared my name?"

His smile widened as if she had told him a very funny joke. "Oh, I wasn't lying about having information, you see."

Sakura could think of a couple of scathing replies – but held her tongue. Kabuto's presence in Team 7's examination hall and being in front of her now meant that she had somehow caught his attention. She had wanted to stop her team from befriending him, but that didn't mean she wanted to go triggering off his radars, either. After all, Kabuto was strong, loathe she admit it – and as a medical-oriented shinobi, if Sakura was honest, not an opponent she wished to go head-to-head with her current body. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I just think we've started on a wrong foot, you see," he said."It was never my intention to give you and your friends the wrong idea."

He still hasn't given up on this befriending business, Sakura realised. Crossing her arms, she shook her head. "I think we've got the perfectly right idea, thanks."

Kabuto frowned. "You must understand-"

"Look," Sakura cut him off. "I'm sorry, but my teammates are waiting for me. I need to go." Sidestepping, she brushed past him, when Kabuto turned, reaching out towards her.

"No, I-"

"For youth, and Sakura-saaaaaaan!"

At the sudden shout, both of them froze, Sakura's eyes widening when she saw Lee on her left, dashing at full power towards her. "Lee?" Sakura exclaimed in disbelief, and before she knew it the spandex-clad boy had wedged himself between her and Kabuto, pulling her behind his back and staring unhappily at the medic-nin, who seemed dumbfounded at Lee's entrance. "Is he bothering you, Sakura-san?"

Sakura blinked. "Uh-"

Taking in Lee's hitai-ate and resolute expression, Kabuto raised his hands placatingly. "Of course not," he began to say, "I only wanted to-"

"Oh, come on, I heard her saying no!" Tenten growled, appearing behind her in tow with Neji, a disapproving look in her eyes. "Leave Sakura alone!"

As Tenten joined Lee before Sakura with a glower, Kabuto seemed to want to protest, before apparently coming to a decision of some sort. Pursing his lips, his arms fell back at his sides. "It seems this is not a good time," he said, clearly displeased with how the situation had turned out. "Maybe next time, Sakura-san." With a tip of his head, Kabuto turned, and walked away.

"Sakura-san!" Lee whirled towards her when Kabuto disappeared around a corner, eyes wide. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Sakura said, waving a hand dismissively. At Tenten and Lee's concerned expressions, she smiled. "Thanks, though."

"What did he want, anyway?" Tenten asked, brows furrowing.

Sakura shrugged. "He wanted to befriend our team before. Seems like he got irked when we turned him down."

"He was waiting in front of there?" Tenten gasped, pointing at the sign above them, painted Women's Restroom, apparently just having noticed where they were. "Sheesh, what a creep!"

"Well, it was actually the wall off to the side, but-" Taking in the brunette's disgusted expression, Sakura broke off. No point defending the reputation of the enemy. "I totally agree," Sakura said, nodding sagely.

"Do not worry, Sakura-san!" Lee exclaimed, kneeling beside her again, his hands wrapped around hers before she knew it. "As I pledged before, I will protect you from anything, let it be creeps, or-"

"If he bothers you again, just let us know, okay?" Tenten cut him off, pushing Lee aside. "We'll be happy to help." Turning, she nudged the brown-haired boy beside her. "Right, Neji?"

Neji gave Tenten a look – something like, don't bring me into this – before letting out a quiet sigh. When his pale eyes met hers, what came out of his mouth instead was, "Watch yourself, Haruno."

Taken aback, Sakura had to pause for a second before replying, her eyebrows rising. It wasn't spoken kindly, if not rather curtly – but it was clear her show of swinging Lee around in their last spar had at least deemed her worthy of an address in Neji's eyes. "Of course, Hyūga," she said gravely, mimicking his tone and causing Tenten to grin.

After regarding her for a few moments, Neji nodded crisply before turning on his feet, and striding away.

"Wait, Neji!" Tenten startled. "Where are you going? Sorry, Sakura- I'll see you later. Good luck for the next exam!"

With a quick, "You, too," Sakura shooed her off, and Tenten shot her an apologetic smile before darting off after Neji.

"Best of luck to you and your team, Sakura-san," Lee gave her a thumbs up, and a brilliant grin. "We'll meet soon!" Ready to also chase after them, Lee turned – when after a short moment of deliberation she caught his wrist, pulling him back.

"Wait, Lee," Sakura said, and surprised, he looked at her expectantly. "Watch out for that guy," she muttered, "He's a spy for a Grass ninja."

His thick brows slanted in confusion. "But his headband-" Lee started to say, before taking in her expression and firmly nodding. "Okay, Sakura-san." He saluted. "Don't worry about us!"

Satisfied, Sakura let go of his arm and stepped back, gesturing for him to go when Tenten's yell reached them, "Lee! Don't bother Sakura and hurry up!"

"I'm going, Tenten!" Lee shouted back, cupping his hands over his mouth before taking off. "Next time, Sakura-san!"

"Bye, Lee," she laughed.

And she watched them go, Tenten lightly punching Lee in the shoulder, and Lee holding his fist up excitedly – all the while Neji rolled his eyes, though he slowed his pace to match his teammates.

At times like this, it didn't seem likely that Neji was the type of boy who would to try kill a meek-souled being like Hinata.

Then again, Sakura thought, making her way towards the entrance, she had never thought Sasuke would descend in such darkness in the past, either.

"Sakura-chan!" The blond called out when Sakura appeared around the corner leading to the doors. "You took so long – I'm starving!"

"Sorry, sorry," Sakura said, running to close the distance between them. "I got cornered by Kabuto on the way back." She made a face. "He was waiting for me."

"In front of the bathroom?" Naruto said incredulously. He wrapped his arms scandalously around himself. "What a pervert!"

"What did he say?" Sasuke asked, brows furrowing.

Sakura shrugged. "Wanted to apologise for earlier, or something like that."

Sasuke scowled. "I thought you said he was a spy."

"Must be a pretty desperate spy," Sakura said, grimacing. "Maybe he thought he could easily get past me since I'm a girl."

Exiting the examination centre and heading down towards the restaurant district, Naruto gave a loud snort. "Past you? Yeah, right!" He shook his head. "Next time we see him, I'm going to give him a piece of our mind," he grumbled. "Stalking our Sakura-chan! Waiting in front of the bathroom – the nerve! Seriously, that-"

It was long past evening when Sakura turned into the street that led to her house after bidding Naruto and Sasuke farewell at Ichiraku's – really, the depths of the blond's stomach never failed to impress – where she saw Kakashi, loitering at a bench with a streetlight overhead a few metres away. He had his novel out, shoulders leaning against the pole and silver hair alight under the yellow light.

Sakura squinted. The streets of the housing district was an odd place to see someone lounging around at this time. She scanned her surroundings for any hidden chakra signatures, calling out when she found the area deserted. "Kakashi-sensei?"

At her voice, Kakashi raised his head. "Sakura."

"What are you doing here?" She asked, stopping before him with a frown.

Closing his book shut, he pushed himself off the streetlight before tucking it away in his pouch. "Just wanted to congratulate my student for passing the first phase of the Chūnin Exams," he said. Then, with his characteristic eye-crinkle, "Congratulations."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. There was no way that Kakashi would have come all the way to her house just to do something sentimental like congratulating her.

"Ouch," Kakashi said when she told him just that. "Is that the kind of impression you have of me?"

Sakura made an amused sound. "That's the you I know, Kakashi-sensei. Anyway," Moving around him towards the bench, Sakura seated herself down, and patted the spot beside her. "Sit down. You've come here to talk to me, right?"

Following her obediently, Kakashi did as he was told. "I'm here," he said, shaking his head. "for you to talk to me."

She blinked, then- Alright. I'll put you through the Chūnin Exams. But I want to see you regularly. "I see," Sakura nodded. "It's time for my regular reporting session, is it?"

Kakashi shrugged.

"I'm more surprised you didn't go to the Hokage-sama for it," Sakura said honestly. "You let me have time. Time to sort myself out before the Chūnin Exams. Even when I told you about…" She trailed off, biting her lip and taking a moment before continuing, "Sasuke."

Having revealed their existence to Kakashi – she and Sai had discussed the silver-haired jōnin's position in their plans multiple times. It had been impossible to come up with a foolproof answer – they needed information about the sporadic visions people seemed to be randomly getting – but now that Kakashi was involved they knew they couldn't expect him to sit still and twiddle his thumbs, either.

Having a helper in the higher ranks of Konoha would be incredibly beneficial to them – but for them to trust the jōnin irrevocably, he also needed to trust them unfailingly. And as far as she was aware, Kakashi had turned down their offer to show him the future by genjutsu. If she was completely frank, Sakura wasn't yet quite sure where he stood – in the end, she had decided to wait and see what Kakashi would piece together.

Leaning forward, Kakashi rested his elbows on his knees. "I did some research," he said. "No information could be found on the existence of a time-travelling jutsu. Nothing." He gave her a look. "Not even a speculation."

Brows furrowing, Sakura crossed her arms. "That means it's either out of your clearance, or…"

"Deleted," Kakashi agreed. "Intentionally removed."

Sakura pursed her lips. She had also never heard of even an inkling of a time-travelling jutsu in her past – hadn't even imagined it, honestly – and even if it was strictly classified information, she couldn't imagine those such as Uchiha Madara or Obito not attempting to get their hands on it- She had tried to pressure Tsunade multiple times into telling her the jutsu's source, but the blonde woman had been exceedingly stubborn on the matter. Sakura had been forced to conclude it was hers, and her own creation. "Is that tipping your trust-scale in our side, or against it?"

He slid his eyes towards her, then back to the space in front of him. "I didn't let you have time." Kakashi said, addressing her earlier words. "I simply didn't have enough evidence to go to Hokage-sama."

"A genin who learned medical-ninjutsu and superhuman strength overnight isn't enough?" she asked quietly.

"There have been geniuses far more skilled than you at your age in the past."

Sakura hummed thoughtfully. "Are you making excuses for me, or yourself, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi remained silent, and with a slight smile, Sakura drew her legs up, wrapping her arms around them. He must have thought over it a lot, Sakura considered. The fact that he hadn't gone to the Hokage, but mulled it over himself, and now was sitting beside her spoke volumes. Although, she wondered, he was a lot more cautious before. What made him trust me more? Did something happen?

Sakura tugged at her hair. It was tiring – too tiring – all this guesswork of another's feelings. All the secrecy. "Do you know what I'm trying to change, Kakashi-sensei?"

"If you're to be believed," Kakashi said, voice low. "Sasuke's defection, I'm assuming. It's implausible to think he would seek Orochimaru out for himself. He must have visited Sasuke first."

Sakura nodded.

"At any other times, entry of foreign ninja into Konoha is strictly regulated. On missions, I will be accompanying Sasuke. Therefore it stands to stay that the Chūnin Exams is the only medium of contact until then."

She nodded again.

"And so it narrows down to the participants. Either Orochimaru, or an accomplice is likely to have disguised themselves as one." Kakashi gave Sakura a look, as if expecting her to confirm or deny his theory. "The backgrounds of foreign shinobi are difficult to confirm," he went on when she remained silent. "If you're as smart as they say, you should have known this already – and yet you told me to look over the participants list. Thus it narrows down again." Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "Konoha shinobi."

From his pouch, Kakashi took out a paper, folded in quarters if not a little haphazardly, before handing it to her. When she smoothed it open, four faces stared back at her. "Unlikely to be too young," he continued. "Not from your year, nor Gai's students'. Most likely older – hasn't attempted the Chūnin Exams in a few years, and without detailed history of their whereabouts, or acquired Konoha citizenship recently."

The photographs of three males and one female and their brief details made up the list. Running her eyes over Kabuto's face that lay printed at the top of the paper, Sakura had to huff out a laugh, half-impressed, half-frightened as his resourcefulness. So this was what he was busy doing, Sakura thought. Terribly careless, and terribly astute. He hasn't changed one bit.

"I'd say I'm impressed, Kakashi-sensei," she said. "But I'd expect no less." Knowing Kakashi was watching her, she considered her words carefully.

If she wanted the rest of Chūnin Exams and the invasion to continue, she couldn't let Kakashi know the full story yet – something she had been adamant to Sai about. As prudent and critical the jōnin was, there was no way he would consent to allowing an attack on their village to occur. And if she told him that Orochimaru would target Sasuke in the Forest of Death, and Kakashi intervened, Team 7 would be automatically disqualified. They also couldn't capture Kabuto now, due to a clear lack of evidence. Sakura let out a long breath.

"There is a month between the second phase and the third phase of the Chūnin Exams," Sakura finally said. She tapped a finger against Kabuto's photograph. "This one. He's Orochimaru's assistant. He'll be observing Sasuke in the second phase, and if he finds him impressive, Orochimaru will go after Sasuke in that break."

"And I'm assuming Sasuke was impressive."

Sakura nodded. "And it's likely he will be, this time, too. Which is why as soon as we're out of that forest, Sasuke needs to be guarded, and Kabuto needs to be dealt with. Otherwise Orochimaru will give him a curse seal – one that will allow Sasuke to tap into a power he shouldn't be using, and it'll lead him to Sound." She gave Kakashi a pointed look. From the jōnin's expression, it was clear Kakashi also understood how dangerous the combination of Sasuke and forbidden power would be. "I'll need your help for that month." And to teach him the Chidori, she added inwardly.

With a sigh, Kakashi raised a hand to his temples. "I'm beginning to regret letting you into the Chūnin Exams."

Sakura laughed, one of genuine mirth this time. "Too late, now." After all – as disastrous had Sasuke's curse seal been, not having Gaara, and in turn, Shukaku, and in turn, Sand, on their side was one disaster that they hadn't experienced, but might as well become reality. Still, Sakura had to consciously try to not wonder if this time, she and Naruto could possibly keep Sasuke in Konoha should the former occur.

Kakashi had fallen into a thoughtful silence when a thought passed her, and she asked, "What about you? Have you seen any visions lately?"

He considered the question for a moment, before shaking his head. "No."

"I've actually been thinking about it," Sakura continued. "Do you think maybe it's in our chakra? For example, if it's in direct contact. After all, you started seeing visions of me when I tried to heal you back at the hospital, right?"

Kakashi pursed his lips. "Possible," he allowed. Then, "But it doesn't explain how I saw them with the Root."

Sakura resisted the urge to correct Kakashi's use of the Root in calling Sai. "That's true," she agreed. Was it truly random? The people, the scenes?

"And what are you going to do if it is a chakra issue?"

She gave him a funny look. "What can I do?" Sakura asked. "I can't just stop healing people-" Stopping short, she sighed. As much as she wanted to tackle everything on at once, there simply wasn't any space in her mind for more things, now.

And it was clear Kakashi knew it, too, because he smartly refrained from commenting any further.

Then they fell into silence again, and this time, Kakashi broke it by standing up. "It's getting late," he said, looking down at her. "You should get some rest."

Nodding, Sakura followed suit, the jōnin's stance making it clear that their conversation was over. He had already begun to walk down the narrow street, and Sakura jogged to catch up. "Not going to wish me luck?" She joked.

Because she hadn't been expecting it, Sakura was surprised when Kakashi directly met her eyes, and said, "Good luck."

But before she could reply, Kakashi looked up, her house having come in view. It was his cue to leave, and he raised a hand in farewell. "Come back alive, Sakura," he said. Then- "I don't think you'd want to leave that Root alone. Nor the boys," his eye crinkled, "of course."

When Sakura returned home, a fresh set of scrolls lay on her bedside table, so did a bundle of thin paper – and above it, a small white crane. When she carefully unfolded it, there was a caricature of a fox, a Sakura tree, and to her surprise, a fan – between the small animal's mouth as it huddled up at the tree's roots.

When Team 7 assorted at their assigned place before the Forest of Death, Naruto was positively bobbing, while Sasuke stared at him with annoyance smothered all over his features. It was clear that their resounding success in passing the first exam yesterday had done wonders to the blond's confidence, washing any unease that he might have felt away to the high skies.

"Calm down, Dobe," Sasuke scowled. "You're going to get us all killed in there."

"Nah – we're gonna be fine!" Naruto replied gleefully. "Remember my epic speech yesterday? 'Bravery and determination. That is the key to being a ninja,'" Naruto said, mimicking Ibiki's deep voice. He cackled. "Too right! With me there, this exam's going to be a breeze!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Just when I thought his head couldn't get bigger."

"We are so fine, believe it! These shinobi better watch the hel- Ow!" Grabbing at his head, Naruto whirled, glowering indignantly at the dark-haired boy. "Bastard! Seriously! Would you stop hitting me!"

"Would you stop talking," Sasuke returned, crossing his arms.

As the pair continued to bicker, Sakura looked up from her weapons pouch, closing it shut and tightly fastening it around her waist. Walking towards the chūnin supervisor, she took out a small slip of paper from her pocket, and handed it to him. "Please give this to Mitarashi Anko-san," she said, when the man raised an eyebrow. "I'm Hatake Kakashi's student. He asked me to deliver it to her this morning," she smiled sheepishly, "but I forgot to. With the exam and all. Please?"

When the chūnin sighed in exasperation but put the note in his pocket, Sakura gave him her best, thousand-watt smile. "Thank you!"

She didn't wait for his reply before making her way back to Naruto and Sasuke, the pair not having noticed the exchange amidst their heated argument. "Now, now," Sakura said, grabbing them both by their shoulders. "Direct that heat somewhere else! Like to the enemy, preferably."

"He started it," Naruto pouted, though without any real malice. When Sakura cracked a smile at Sasuke's responding harrumph, the blond also broke out in a grin.

Then the clock above them hit nine, and the gates before them opened with a solid click. Pushing it open, their supervisor gestured towards the forest. "Team 7, you may enter."

"Alright!" Naruto grinned, wasting no time as he bounded in excitedly.

Adjusting his wrist strap with a sharp tug, Sasuke followed, though a lot more composed.

Then it was her turn – and staring at the boundary that separated them from the Training Grounds Forty-Four – Sakura took a moment. Exhaled. Clenched her fists.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Sakura?"

When she looked up, Naruto and Sasuke was staring at her from inside, the blond's face expectant while Sasuke raised an eyebrow over his shoulder.

Naruto extended a hand. "Come on, Sakura-chan!"

Swallowing, Sakura gave them a nod, and reaching towards the blond's hand, stepped in, brushing Sasuke's shoulder. The black jade felt warm against her collarbone.

Now, the gauntlets were off.

A/N:

And here it is! One week later, and Chapter 13 – or to be more precise, Chapter 12.5, haha.

All the support I received last chapter nearly blew me away! I always appreciate feedback, so reading all your comments and long reviews really, really made my day. I hope my writing can improve with everyone's support.

I've also received a review that Team Gai is not Team 9. This is true – I believe Team 9 is the mistaken name that people call Team Gai with, perhaps due to the fact that there is a vacancy of nine between Team 7, 8 and 10. I don't think it has ever been solidly confirmed what numbered team they were in their year. Despite this, there are actually many who call Team Gai as such that if you look up Team 9 – Team Gai pops up. It was something that greatly confused me at the time, too – and while I was writing it must have slipped my mind. My apologies – it must have been quite confusing. However, due to the number of times that I have referred to Team Gai as such, I have decided to continue to, if that is okay.

And no, I haven't forgotten about Kakashi's letter from last chapter! And I hope you guys haven't, either. :)

Please leave a review, and see you all next time!